(1) Incorporation by Reference
The disclosure herein incorporates by reference commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,205,351, issued May 27, 1980, for "Digital Data Recorder"; and, 4,363,537, issued Dec. 14, 1982, for "Marking Device for a Shorthand Machine".
(2) Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a referencing device for the combination of a digital data recorder and shorthand machine and is particularly directed to means for inputting a signal to a recorder logic/control circuitry which signal is identifiable with a predetermined addres for encoding onto a recording medium for later decoding with a resultant reference record on the produced stenographic record. The invention is includable as an improvement in such a combination wherein there is further provided a paper tape marking device suited for accommodating the referencing device.
(3) Description of the Prior Art
Stenography is a widely used technique for recording the spoken word. The basic process includes two steps:
(1) Making a phonetic record of the speech being recorded, and PA1 (2) Transcribing the phonetic record to a grammatical record such as, by way of example, an English language transcript.
To ensure reliability and efficiency in the recording process, and to simplify the transcribing process, shorthand machines are frequently employed to produce the phonetic record. Such machines are especially useful where the recording is made over a relatively long period of time, for example, in the courtroom or at a business meeting.
Machine shorthand operators frequently desire to mark the paper tape output produced by the shorthand machine to denote a portion or portions of the notes recorded thereon for ready reference and quick retrieval of the information there encoded. In the past, this has been accomplished by merely marking the tape with a pen or pencil, or slightly tearing the paper at its margin to indicate specific portions of the notes. The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,577, assigned to the assignee of the present application is directed to a marking device for use in a machine shorthand and provides a very desirable solution to the problem of referencing the output tape where the operator deems it necessary, such as where reference to a particular portion of the notes is required during later transcription.
This marking device of the said U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,557 is one suitable means for accommodating the device of the present invention. It overcomes many previous attempts at paper tape marking and does not require removal of the operator's hands from the keyboard, which would otherwise cause interruption during the recording process causing the operator to fall behind contemporaneous recording.
In the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,351, assigned to the assignee of the present application, and also incorporated herein by reference for the purpose of disclosing the illustrated embodiment, a digital data recorder is provided whereby a machine shorthand device offers significant improvement over prior recorders and is designed for recording digital data on a magnetic tape medium at high speed, utilizing maximum space on the magnetic for data storage. At the same time, a paper tape output can be simultaneously encoded in a normal manner such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,319,273 entitled "Stenographic Machine", issued to J. G. Sterling and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
The digital data recorder of said referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,351, obviates the need for the operator to read back the paper tape containing the phonetic characters to make a corresponding grammatical record. However, the paper tape output is yet available for reference and correspondence to the digital data stored on a magnetic tape medium.
By way of background, and consistent with the vernacular appropriate to shorthand machine technology, the following terms are used throughout this disclosure and are to be given their intended meaning as understood in this art:
The term "stroke" refers to the act of an operator engaging the keys of a shorthand machine with sufficient force to impress a similar character on the paper tape, and/or to produce an electrical output representing the symbol.
The terms "symbol" and/or "character" means any representation of numerals and word constructions including but not limited to letters of the alphabet.
The terms "combination" is intended to include single as well as multiple elements.
The term "phonetic words" means a particular combination of phonetic characters which may form all or part of the phonetics of the spoken word.
(4) Objects of the Invention
It is the primary goal of this invention to provide a referencing device for use in a data recoder in combination with a shorthand machine.
It is a significant goal of the invention to utilize, and improve upon, the marking device incorporated by reference herein and as disclosed in said U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,557, in combination with a recorder and shorthand machine.
It is further an important object of the invention to provide a referencing device capable of producing an electrical data signal for input to a logic/control circuitry of a digital data recorder having capacity for acceptance of the referencing signal, such as disclosed in incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,351.
It is an allied goal of the invention to provide a referencing device producing an electrical output signal, separate and independent of signals generated by keyboard depressions generating from an associated shorthand machine, for conversion in a signal receiving recorder into a sequential binary bit having a bit address identifiable by a memory circuit where said reference signal is encoded and has an identifiable bit address, which when later decoded from the storage medium, allows the operator to produce referencing symbols or characters.
It is yet another goal of the invention to provide a minimal number of moving parts allowing the referencing device to be used quietly during operation.
It is a concomitant object of the invention to provide a referencing device, which may be included in a paper tape marking device for a shorthand machine in combination with a data recorder, and usable therein to achieve referencing of both the paper tape and magnetic storage medium during the same manipulation by the operator.
Consonant with the invention, it is an associated goal to provide a referencing device which inputs a reference signal to a recorder by means of the operator manipulating a manually movable means capable of mounting association adjacent a keyboard of a shorthand machine combined, and electrically communicating with the recorder.